Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups
These players are generally available in at least 70% of Sleeper leagues and ranked in order of priority, by position.
Your bid should vary by format and situation. Need help at RB? Prioritize that position. All set there? Then, you probably don’t need to chase the top guys.
Quarterback
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%
Yup -- another week of Maye on our list of pickups...
He has finished as a top-12 QB in four of the past seven weeks, and a top-16 QB in every game he hasn't left early with injury.
Even when the Patriots offense isn’t scoring a ton of TDs, Maye’s rushing ability and volume make him an attractive streaming QB.
He has a positive matchup this week against the Colts, followed by a bye week.
Running Back
Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
Blind-bid recommendation: 15-20%
Washington could be without its top two RBs in Week 13 after Brian Robinson (ankle) and Austin Ekeler (concussion) left Sunday’s loss to Dallas. That’d leave the backfield to McNichols and potentially Chris Rodriguez, if the team re-signs him after releasing him over the weekend.
In the four games the Commanders have missed either Robinson or Ekeler, McNichols has totaled 22 carries and 2 targets to Rodriguez’s 13 carries and 0 targets. If Rodriguez doesn't return, then McNichols could see even more work.
The Commanders get a tough Titans run defense on Sunday, followed by a Week 14 bye. So that limits the value in chasing McNichols.
Wide Receivers
Noah Brown, Washington Commanders
Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%
Brown led Washington with 10 targets on a 26% share against the Cowboys last week.
He caught six of those for 71 yards and has now out-targeted WR Terry McLaurin 33 to 25 over Washington’s last five games.
McLaurin should reclaim the mantle, but Brown is clearly at least the No. 2 WR going forward.
He's a solid bench player with upside if McLaurin goes down.
Brown still has nice matchups remaining against the Saints in Week 15 and Falcons in Week 17.
DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots
Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%
Douglas led New England with 5 catches and 62 yards in a rough outing for QB Drake Maye.
Douglas’ 7 targets ranked second on the team. He has averaged 6.5 per game across Maye’s six full outings.
Douglas often serves as the "hot" route option for Maye vs. pressure, a nice boost given New England's weak pass protection.
Next up for Douglas: neutral matchups against the Colts and Cardinals sandwiching a Week 14 bye.
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%
Wicks has had a disappointing season but should see a Week 13 role increase following Romeo Doubs’ concussion Sunday.
Although Wicks hasn’t gotten consistent playing time this year, he has drawn a target on a team-high 26% of his routes. He also saw 7 targets (25%) in Doubs’ lone previous absence this season.
DeVaughn Vele, Denver Broncos
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-8%
Vele has emerged as Denver’s No. 2 WR in routes over the last three games.
He has totaled 18 targets, 14 catches, 185 yards, and one score during that stretch. That included 6 catches for 80 yards against the Raiders on Sunday.
With QB Bo Nix playing well – and the fourth-easiest remaining WR schedule – Vele could be a useful WR4 or flex play down the stretch.
Deep-League Options
Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-10%
Quietly, Levis has finished as the QB9, QB18, and QB10 over his past three.
Over that stretch, he has notched a 68% completion rate, 9.6 yards per attempt, and 5 TDs to 2 INTs. His big time throw rate of 8.4% (per PFF) would easily lead the league over the full season.
As a bonus, Levis’ QB strength of schedule looks highly favorable.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-15%
The Raiders played Week 12 without Alexander Mattison and Zamir White. Abdullah took the lead:
- 69 snaps
- 47 routes
- 8 carries
- 6 targets
We’ll have to keep an eye on practice reports for Mattison and White this week. HC Antonio Pierce also RB Sincere McCormick will get “more reps this week" after handling 5 carries on Sunday.
Regardless, Abdullah will have a chance to lead this group in snaps and see a decent target share at Kansas City in Week 13.
The Raiders are currently 13-point road underdogs, so game script should produce ample pass attempts.
Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%
Gibson led the Patriots’ Week 12 backfield in snaps (30) and rushing yards (31).
With the Patriots playing from behind, Gibson overtook Rhamondre Stevenson.
They will be underdogs in most games for the rest of the season, so Gibson could continue taking more of Stevenson’s workload.
Note, however, that Gibson still drew just 2 targets for the game and hasn't caught more than one pass in a game since Week 6.
Make him show you something before trusting Gibson in your lineup, if you can.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-8%
Gainwell scored a 13-yard TD in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Rams. But that’s not why he’s garnering a mention here.
Gainwell provides a handcuff opportunity for managers looking for a stretch-run stash. Saquon Barkley certainly hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, but he is up to nearly 23 touches per game.
If he goes down, the backfield would likely find Gainwell working clearly ahead of rookie Will Shipley.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%
Mitchell should benefit from Josh Downs' expected Week 13 absence.
When Michael Pittman Jr. missed Week 10, Mitchell caught all 6 of his targets for 71 yards against a strong Buffalo defense. That game found Joe Flacco under center instead of Anthony Richardson but shows the rookie's potential impact.
Note: Mitchell’s 27% targets per route run this season ranks just behind Downs for second on the team. If it held up over a larger sample, Mitchell’s mark would sit among the league leaders.
Week 13 turns up a beatable Patriots secondary, followed by a Week 14 bye. Treat Mitchell as a one-week rental with boom-bust potential.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-8%
Jake Ferguson is expected to miss another week, opening the door for Schoonmaker.
He caught three of four targets for 55 yards and a TD. Schoonmaker also ran more routes and played more snaps than TE Brevyn Spann-Ford.
The Cowboys are playing the Giants, who have been a negative matchup for TEs. But Ferguson caught all 7 targets in the first meeting this season.
Top Streaming Defense for Week 13
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
“Play the defense against Tommy DeVito” may become a weekly section of this article. He led the league with a 17.2% sack rate as a starter last year and didn't show much improvement in his first 2024 start.
The Buccaneers sacked DeVito four times, an 11.42% sack rate. That tops Daniel Jones’ sack rate for the season (7.84%).
The average time on those four sacks was only 2.4 seconds, so the O-line's not helping.
The Cowboys pass rush has delivered 4+ sacks in two of the past three games. The D also held Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense in in check for three quarters Sunday.
If you want other defenses to stream, check out our Streaming Defense Guide for Week 13.
Drop Candidates
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Since Week 10, Mostert’s touches have gone 2, 3, 3. He’d split touches with Jaylen Wright in the event of an injury to De’Von Achane.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
Schultz is coming off a season-low 7% target share. Beyond that, he’s topped 4 catches and 55 yards only once all season. The return of Nico Collins and a dip in play from C.J. Stroud also work against the TE.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Lockett’s OK to keep around in deep formats. But he's not a trustworthy fantasy piece right now, as he hasn't seen a target share of at least 15% since Week 7. He’s averaging only 31.2 yards per game over that stretch.